Collapsible filing container



ay 2, 1967 F. H. HUMPHREY 3,317,113

COLLAPSIBLE FILING CONTAINER Filed April 26, 1966 w. WS

rh Nga l Illu/[Hull Inventor 'FkEDemcK n. HUMPRREY United States Patent 3,317,113 COLLAPSIBLE FILING CONTAINER Frederick H. Humphrey, P.0. Box 440, Markham, Ontario, Canada Filed Apr. 26, 1966, Ser. No. 545,450 6 Claims. (Cl. 229-23) This invention relates to filing containers for holding and storing books or papers.

One object of this invention is to provide a relatively rigid, self-supporting filing container for books or containers which can be readily assembled and disassembled.

Another obje-ct of this invention is to provide a iiling container of which one end resembles a book binding such that a series of such containers can be ranged on a shelf to resemble a row of books.

These and other objects and advantages are achieved through the provision of a filing container consisting of three basic parts. The first part is a le holder member having two upright, spaced-apart wall panels and a bottom structure bridging between the wall panels at the bottom thereof, to form therewith a channel-like enclosure having a rearward end and a forward end, adjacent to which forward end the wall members have apertures. The second part is a rectangular member which is adapted to take up a position within the forward end of the channel-like enclosure, and which has protrusions registering with and .projecting beyond the apertures when the rectangular member is in this position. The third part is a trough-like member which is adapted to be snapped on over said forward end to maintain the apertures in registry with the protrusions. The troughlike member has means by which it is maintained in its snapped-on position.

One embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. l is a telescoped, perspective assembly view of a filing container, partly broken away;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembled filing container; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken at the line 33 in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the tiling container according to the invention is seen to consist of three basic par-ts.

The first of these is a file holder member 10, having two upright, spaced-apart wall panels =11 and A12 and a bottom structure, generally shown at 13, bridging between the wall panels 11 and 12 at the bottom thereof to form therewith a channel-like enclosure having a rearward end 14 and a forward end 15. Both of the wall panels 11 and 12 arerfoldably connected to, and integral with, a forward wall 16. The bottom structure 13 will be described in more detail later.

The wall members 11 and 12 are provided with a series of aligned apertures 1,8 adjacent the forward end 15 of the channel-like enclosure.

The second part referred to above is a rectangular member which is so shaped as to be adapted to take up a position within the forward end 15 of the channellike closure adjacent the forward wall 16, and which has a series of aligned protrusions 21 which register with and project beyond the apertures |18 when the plate is in position in the forward end 15 of the channel-like enclosure.

FIGURE 3 shows more clearly the way in which the protrusions `21 are adapted to register with the apertures 18. The protrusions are in two aligned groups extending laterally from two opposite sides of the plate member 20.

The third of the parts referred to `above is a trough-like member 23 which has two sides 24 and 25, t-wo ends 26 3,317,113 Patented May 2, 1967 ice and 27, and a back 28. The trough-like member 23 is adapted to be snapped on over the forward end 15 of the U-shaped enclosure in order to maintain the apertures 18 in registry with `the protrusions 21. To this end, the trough-like member 23 is equipped with protuberances 29 on the interior of each side 24 and 25 (only those on side 24 being visible in FIG. l), which are adapted to catch behind certain of the projecting protrusions 21 as shown in FIG. 3 in order to maintain the trough-like member 23 in its snapped-on position.

Turning now to a more detailed description of the individual parts of the tiling container, it will be seenv in FIGS. 1 and 3 that the rectangular member I20 consists of :a peripheral rectangular frame 30 integral with a thinner web 31. In addition to the laterally extending protrusions 21, the rectangular member 20 can also have en-d protrusions 32 one of which is registerable with an aperture 33 in a ap 34 foldably connected to the forl ward wall 16. The flap 34 is -discussed more fully below.

The trough-like member 23 shown in the drawings is provided with four protuberances 29, although more or less protuberances could be employed Without departing from the basic concept of this invention. As shown best in FIG. 3, each protuberance is a rearwardly tapering wedge integral with the side of the trough-like member 23. As seen in FIG. 2, the forward face of the back 28 of the trough-liike member 23 is shaped and textured to resemble a book binding. With such an appearance, several of such filing containers can be ranged on a shelf to give the neat and orderly impression of a row of books.

The wall panels 11 and 12 are substantially identical, and decrease in height from the forward end 15 to the rearward end 14 of the channel-like enclosure. This tapering shape is not essential to the invention but it is advantageous because it permits easy access to papers and tiles of small dimensions, while lending support to tiles which stand up high in the container.

Turning now to the bottom structure 13, it will be seen from FIG 1 that the side wall 11 has a stepped ilap 35 foldably connected along its bottom edge, and that the side wall -12 has a stepped flap 35 similarly connected. The corresponding sections of the flaps 35 and 36 overlap in such a way that the bottom structure 13 resists pressure from above, but yields to pressure lfrom below. If desired the iiaps 35 and 36 can be glued together.

The iiap 34 foldably connected to, and preferably integral with, the forward wall 16 is adapted to fold into a horizontal position as shown by the arrow, and can be glued in this posit-ion to the aps 35 and 36. As mentioned earlier, the aperture 33 is adapted to register with the lower end protrusion 32 on the rectangular member 20.

The side wall -11 has an integral end flap 37 foldable along the substantially vertical line 38 constituting the rearward edge of the side wall 11. The side wall 12 is a similar integral end iiap 39. The end flaps 37 and 39 extent away from their respective wall panels a distance greater than 50% of the distance separating the wall panels, but not exceeding of this distance, and are overlapped in face-to-face relation. They lare preferably glued together to hold the wall panels 11 and 12 in spaced-apart relation, thereby to provide a rearward Wall for the channel-like enclosure.

It will be readily appreciated that the particular construction ozf the le holder member 10 described above is only one of many possible alternative designs, all of which would function equally as well. For example, the forward wall =16 could be dispensed with, and this would permit the side walls 11 and 12 to be made foldably integral with a single base or bottom wall which is all one sheet. With this latter arrangement, the end ilaps 37 and `3:9 could be replaced with a single end hap which is folda-bly integral with the single bottom wall, and is equipped with auxiliary lateral ilaps adapted to lbe glued to the side walls r11 and 12.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that further modications can be made to the `device described and illustrated without departing from the spirit of .the invention, and for this reason the latter is to be limited only by the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege are claimed is dened as follows:

1. A ling container comprising in combination: a le holder member having two upright spaced-apart wall panels and a bottom structure bridging between the Wall panels at the bottom thereof to form therewith a cha-nnel-like enclosure having a rearward end and a forward end, the wall members having apertures adjacent said forward end, a rectangular member adapted to take up a position within said forward end and having protrusions which register with said apertures when the plate member is in said position, and a trough-like member adapted to be snapped on over said forward end to maintain said apertures in registry with said protrusions, the trough-like member having means by which it is maintained in its snapped-on position.

2. A filing container as claimed in claim l, wherein said protrusions project beyond said apertures and are in two aligned groups extending laterally from two opposite sides of the rectangular member, said means comprising protuberances adapted .to catch behind projecting protriusions when the trough-like member is snapped on, there being at least one said protuberance on the troughlike member for each said group.

3. A tiling container as claimed in claim 2, wherein there are two protuberances for each group, each protuberance being a rearwardly tapering wedge integral with .the trough-like member.

4. A tiling container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall panels are foldably connected to the bottom structure, .are substantially identical and decrease in height from the forward to the rearward end, each wall panel at its rearward end having an integral end flap foldable )along a substantially vertical fold 'line and extending away from the wall panel a distance greater than of, vbut not exceeding of, the distance separating the wall panels, the two end flaps being overlapped in face-to-fface relation and being glued together to hold the wall panels in spaced-apart relation, thereby to provide a rearward wall for the channel-like enclosure.

5. A filing container as claimed in claim 4, wherein the trough-like member has a back, two sides and two ends, the forward face of the back being shaped and textured to resemble a book binding.

6. A ling container as claimed in claim 5, wherein said protrusions project beyond said apertures and are in two align-ed groups extending laterally from Itwo opposite sides of the rectangular member, said means comprising protuberances adapted to catch behind projecting protrusions when the trough-like member is snapped on, there being two` protuberances on the trough-like member for each group, each protuberance being a rearwardly tapering wedge integral with the trough-like member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,233,605 7/1917 Ridley 217-5 3,159,327 12/1964 Feather 229-23 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner D. M. BOCKENEK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FILING CONTAINER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A FILE HOLDER MEMBER HAVING TWO UPRIGHT SPACED-APART WALL PANELS AND A BOTTOM STRUCTURE BRIDGING BETWEEN THE WALL PANELS AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF TO FORM THEREWITH A CHANNEL-LIKE ENCLOSURE HAVING A REARWARD END AND A FORWARD END, THE WALL MEMBERS HAVING APERTURES ADJACENT SAID FORWARD END, A RECTANGULAR MEMBER ADAPTED TO TAKE UP A POSITION WITHIN SAID FORWARD END AND HAVING PROTRUSIONS WHICH REGISTER WITH SAID APERTURES WHEN THE PLATE MEMBER IS IN SAID POSITION, AND A TROUGH-LIKE MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE SNAPPED ON OVER SAID FORWARD END TO MAINTAIN SAID APERTURES IN REGISTRY WITH SAID PROTRUSIONS, THE TROUGH-LIKE MEMBER HAVING MEANS BY WHICH IT IS MAINTAINED IN ITS SNAPPED-ON POSITION. 